Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Change the World from Here

I
recently took my eldest son, Jaxson, on his first college visit.He had expressed an interest in the
University of San Francisco, so off we went for a weekend adventure in the Bay
Area.The campus was beautiful, as was
the surrounding city.But what really
sticks out in my mind is the school’s motto, “Change The World From Here.”Whether you’re attending USF or following the
Live to Give mindset, it’s a great message.After our visit, we drove a couple of hours south to the famous Pebble
Beach golf course.Our amazing
experience there begins with this story…

The
fifth of nine children, William was born to Irish-American parents in a suburb
of Chicago.His father, Edward, was a
lumber salesman and avid golfer who had once caddied for a former US Open
champion.Edward had also been a
groundskeeper before becoming a golf club member, and his love for the game
would be adopted by several of his sons, including William.

Growing
up in the claustrophobic household, the nine siblings competed constantly for
their parents’ attention.In particular,
the children tried without much success to get laughs from their father.Once, while imitating a famous actor, William
fell off a table and banged his foot hard on the metal leg.He saw his father laughing, and it made a
powerful impression on him to realize that throwing yourself into being funny
was what got a response.

William
was also a self-proclaimed troublemaker.At school, his affinity for acting out to get laughs wasn’t well
received by his teachers, who called him a brilliant but terrible student.He played sports, did some acting, and sang
in a local rock band, but was never as focused on any of it as he was on
entertaining his peers.To earn extra
money, he caddied at the local golf course, where one of the perks was playing
golf for free.

William
left Chicago after high school, enrolling at a university in Denver, Colorado,
to study pre-med.However, when he
learned how many of his fellow students were interested in medicine for the
money, and not out of a desire to help people, it soured his feelings for the
program.Not long after, he returned to
Chicago in search of a new direction.

By
this time, William’s brother Brian had become part of Chicago’s Second City
comedy troupe.With no other plans,
William decided to try comedy as well.At Second City, he took part in nightly improvisational games that made
the childhood memories of committing to his comedy relevant again.William honed his craft over the course of
more than five hundred performances, before finally making the leap to New York
and into the national spotlight.

William
“Bill” Murray is arguably the funniest comedian to have ascended through the
cast of Saturday Night Live.His dry,
deadpan style has been mimicked by thousands of comics, and he has starred in
some of the most iconic films of the last thirty years, including Caddyshack, Stripes, Ghostbusters (one of the highest-grossing comedies
ever), and Lost In Translation, for which he won a Golden Globe.

Bill
Murray remains a private person who is intentionally hard to reach.He gives few interviews and rarely shows up
for red-carpet events.He has no agent
or publicist, instead maintaining a 1‑800 phone number where he takes messages
regarding acting projects (if he’s interested, he calls back).Despite being an apparent recluse, Bill has
turned public appearances into a sort of joyful performance art, spreading
spontaneous fun and keeping with the unpredictability of his Second City years.

You
can imagine my excitement when Jaxson and I arrived at Pebble Beach to walk 18
holes of golf with Bill Murray during the AT&T Pro-Am golf tournament.Making this happen was no small feat, but
that’s another story.Bill talked to us
for hours.He was funny, engaging, and
even invited me onto the green to help him read a birdie putt.He made us feel like we were the center of
his attention, even while managing to entertain millions of TV viewers and
thousands of fans that came to meet the legend.

After
a six-hour day, I couldn’t help but ask for some advice I could share with you
on how to live your dreams.His response
was classic Bill Murray:“Hum every
morning, do what you love, try and make people smile, and if all else fails,
sell your soul.”

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Scott Shickler

About me

Scott is one of the world’s leading experts on youth empowerment and entrepreneurship. The Wall Street Journal referred to him as a serial and parallel entrepreneur due to the number of businesses he started in diverse industries. Collectively his companies have grossed over $37 million with businesses ranging from software to seminars and real estate to restaurants. Shickler is the author or coauthor of 8 books including, The Ultimate Entrepreneur and The 7 Mindsets to Live Your Ultimate Life. Scott also wrote the Boy Scout Merit Badge booklet on entrepreneurship. He has been featured on CNN, ABC & NBC News, and in The New York Times. Shickler is currently the CEO and founder of Excent Corporation – a multi-million dollar education company serving millions of students and educators throughout the world. Scott grew up in New York and now lives in Atlanta with his wife and two sons. He is a graduate of Fordham University and also the cofounder of the Magic Wand Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to empowering youth to live their dreams.